On 20/06/2006 The good Dr wrote:>I would recommend Preludes, Central Gully N side. Good gear, technical,>and with a steep bit at the top to raise the pulse just a little. Can be>done entirely on Hexes (if you are into that sort of modern jiggery pokery).>

On 29/06/2010 Eduardo Slabofvic wrote:>On 29/06/2010 prb wrote:>>I suspect the most feared 17 at Arapiles is Missing Link >>You should see how many wires my girl friend can get in Missing Link.> Despite any allegations to the contrary, Missing Link is well protected.

Its been ages since I've done Preservative Added, so I can't comment on the gear that well. I recall it is a little spaced down low, but the upper section doesn't stick in my mind, so it was probably alright.

The day my girl friend lead Missing Link, there were two Euro guys who had just done it before her, and they thought it was really run out and scary, and were totally gob smacked by the number of runners she got in. She is very determined when it comes to placing gear, which can make seconding her a frustrating experience, particularly as her hands are about half the size of mine and she can get gear in places where I can't reach

I'd suggest Spellbinder(17**), Huey(18**) and Coming on Chris(16**) around that grade. The start of Huey is a bit tricky but once you get going the gear is great.

I wouldn't be suggesting Swinging unless you know how to place good tiny (0.2) cams (there is a reasonable small slot half way between the last bolt and the belay)

I wouldn't recommend Scorpion direct start either - it's just plain old hard! It spanked some pretty good, experienced Yosemite born and bred crack lovers. Not ideal for your first 17!

Oceanoid, while an awesome route I concur with Neil might be a bit intimidating and do more harm than good to someone wanting to experiment with leading at this grade. That said if you survive (which you most likely will) it would be the pants filling kind of awesome experience that you bore your friends with - greatest thing in the world, and the whole reason you started climbing (etc etc)

What about Dirge(17**) in the Organ Pipes? that's well protected and very good climbing?

The 17/18 across from Lemmington (called Aardvark) has a hard start and might be likely to put someone off leading as it's just hard. The rest of the route is great. A good one to top rope after doing D minor.

I'd highly recommend Preludes (18**) - tricky but kind of all fairly obvious and from memory well protected where you need it. Great position.

Climb safe, Climb happy, stick around for a long good time!

PS Star allocation is just my opinion, check your climbing guide! Everyone has their own style. A more reliable source of info than this forum!